Q Topics of Leadership Pequannock Township High School

Leadership and Values “ Leadership cannot just go along to get along… Leadership must meet the moral challenge of the day.” ~Jesse Jackson Chapter 6 6

Leadership and “Doing the Right Things” Leaders face dilemmas that require choices between competing sets of priorities. Leaders set a moral example to others that becomes the model for an entire group or organization, for good or bad. This is NOT an individual choice Morals guide your DECISION MAKING Leaders should possess a strong set of ethics, principles of right conduct, or a system of moral values. McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-3

Leadership and “Doing the Right Things” (continued) Two contrasting sets of assumptions people make about human nature: Theory X Pessimistic view of others (discipline, pay, punishments) Assumes people are not naturally motivated to work Theory Y Optimistic view of others (achievement, personal growth) Assumes people take pride in what they do McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-4

What Are Values? Values are “generalized behaviors or ways of thinking that are considered by the individual to be important.” Values play a fairly central role in one’s overall psychological makeup and can affect behavior in a variety of situations. They are not always related to the decisions that a leader makes. McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-5

The Relative Importance People Place on Values McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-6 Values that have some sort of “end result” Values that are modes of behavior An exciting lifeBeing courageous A sense of accomplishmentBeing helpful Family securityBeing honest Inner harmonyBeing imaginative Social recognitionBeing logical FriendshipBeing responsible

How Do Values Develop? A person’s values reflect the contributions of: Family Peers Educational system Religion Media Science and technology Geography Current events McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-7

Generational Values The results of a scientific sampling of over 1,000 people living in the U.S. found little evidence of a generation gap in basic values for groups of people born at different times. Values beyond those identified by the survey as “basic” are the result of education and life experience. McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-8

Four Generations of Workers There tend to be common value systems among people growing up at a particular time that distinguish them from people who grow up at different times. Each generation is molded by distinctive experiences during their critical developmental periods: The Veterans ( ) The Baby Boomers ( ) The Gen-Xers ( ) The Nexters (1980+) McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-9

The Veterans (born between ) Veterans came of age during the Great Depression and World War II, and represent a wealth of lore and wisdom. They’ve been a stabilizing force in organizations for decades, even if they are prone to hanging onto “the good old days”

The Baby Boomers (born between ) These were the postwar babies who came of age during violent social protests, experimentation with new lifestyles, and pervasive questioning of establishment values. They don’t like to think of themselves as “the problem” in the workplace even though they frequently are. Boomers still have passion about bringing participation, spirit, heart, and humanity to the workplace and office. They’re concerned about creating a level playing field for all, but they hold far too many meetings for the typical Gen Xer.

The Gen Xers (born ) Gen Xers grew up during the era of the Watergate scandal, the energy crisis, high divorce rates, MTV, and corporate downsizing. As a group, they tend to be technologically savvy, independent, and skeptical of institutions and hierarchy. They are entrepreneurial and they embrace change.

More about GenXers Having seen so many of their parents work long and loyally for one company only to lose their job to downsizing, Xers don’t believe much in job security. For them, job security comes from having the kinds of skills that make you attractive to an organization. They tend to be more committed to their vocation than to any specific organization Among the challenges they present at work is how to meet their need for feedback despite their dislike of close supervision. Xers seek balance in their lives more than preceding generations; they work to live rather than live to work.

The Millenials (Generation Y) (born since 1985) This is your generation. In general, Nexters share an optimism born from having been raised by parents devoted to the task of bringing their generation to adulthood They are the children of soccer moms and little league dads. They doubt the wisdom of traditional racial and sexual categorizing, perhaps not unexpected from a generation rich with opportunities like having Internet friends that they can interact with at all times. They are averse to hard work and expect things to be given as a “right” as opposed to grasping the idea of “privilege”

How Values Impact Leadership Values are a primary determinant in how they define problems. Values often influence leader’s perceptions of individual and organizational successes as well as the manner in which these successes are achieved. Values help leaders choose right from wrong, and between ethical and unethical behavior. McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-15

How Values Impact Leadership (continued) Leaders tend to like followers with similar values and dislike those with dissimilar values. It is important for leaders to surround themselves with followers who possess divergent values. Leaders are motivated to act in ways consistent with their values, and they typically spend most of their time engaged in activities that are consistent with their values. McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-16

Key Work Values McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Recognition “Be Center of Attention” Tradition “Believe strongly in codes of conduct” Power “Motivated to achieve and succeed” Security “Like stability and predictability” Hedonism “Have fun and entertain at work” Commerce “Motivated by financial success” Altruistic “Believe in helping others” Aesthetics “Place more importance on appearance” Affiliation “Value teams and networking” Science “Enjoy analyzing data”

Leadership and Organizational Values Research has shown that employees with values similar to the organization or team are more satisfied and likely to stay; those with dissimilar values are more likely to leave. McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved “It’s important that people know what you stand for. It’s equally important that they know what you won’t stand for.” ~Mary Waldrop

Leader Attributes and Behaviors Universally Viewed as Positive McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved TrustworthyPositiveIntelligent JustDynamicDecisive HonestMotive arouserEffective bargainer ForesightedConfidence builderWin-win problem solver Plans aheadMotivationalAdministratively skilled EncouragingDependableCommunicative InformedCoordinatorTeam builder Excellence oriented

Leader Attributes and Behaviors Universally Viewed as Negative McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved LonerNonexplicit AsocialEgocentric NoncooperativeRuthless IrritableDictatorial

Implications of Leadership Practitioners Interacting with individuals and groups holding conflicting values is inevitable. Leaders in particular have a responsibility not to let their own personal values interfere with professional leader-subordinate relationships. McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-21

Summary Values are constructs that represent general sets of behavior or states of affairs that individuals consider to be important, and they are a central part of a leader’s psychological makeup. Values impact leadership by which various attributes and behaviors are regarded differentially - positively or negatively. McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-22